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“The action of hip disassociation/differentiation happens when you reach your ischial tuberosities or sits bones as you descend to sit in a chair. The pelvis stabilizes and the femur heads scoop out your pelvis creating a deep crease at the front of the hip, as the photo at right demonstrates.”

Say what?

Unfortunately, some key Pilates concepts – such as “disassociation” – can be couched in overly-scientific jargon. The quotation above, from the pilates-pro.com web site, is but one example.

Fortunately, however, there are plenty of “plain English” explanations out there. One particularly inventive (and instructive) approach to understanding hip disassociation is offered by Francis Cahill, of the Pilates Fitness Institute.

In her article, “A Lesson from the Lego Man,” Cahill writes:

“We Pilates folk are always searching for ways that we can most effectively describe hard to imagine technical info as part of our education. One of these Pilates technical concepts is hip disassociation. Whilst this terminology sounds very ‘science nerd’, don’t run screaming for the hills just yet, all it really means is that we are trying to teach our bodies how to move our legs in isolation to our pelvis. Why would we want to do this, you ask? It is a crucial part of having a strong and stable core…. If you are someone whose hip flexors are often screaming at you during your exercise, this is a sure sign that your muscle balance around your hips is out of whack and this article will help you enormously.”

Importantly, she goes on to say: “To imagine this concept more easily, we will draw inspiration from our trusty little Lego Man (Our model is a James Bond Lego Man courtesy of Hilary who has these cuff links!!). Check out the picture (above) and notice how he has a hinge at the hip joint where he is able to move his legs without affecting the rest of his torso. Now that is impressive hip disassociation!”

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After suffering a voice injury that made it painful to talk, aerobics instructor Aliesa George “was afraid of losing her livelihood as well as the ability to share her passion with others.” Remarkably, she turned to Pilates and discovered “a whole new way to breathe as well as exercise.” Her injury healed.

“Breathing was one of the things I realized I didn’t know how to do right,” George said. “I was a competitive dancer and gymnast. I breathed shallowly through the top of my chest and not into the whole lung. … I always hated running and cardio because I could never take a deep enough breath for it to be fun.”

George’s experience is not uncommon and, in fact, such benefits are well-documented in medical research. According to WebMD, “deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body.

“Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax,” the website goes on to say. “The way you breathe affects your whole body. Breathing exercises are a good way to relax, reduce tension, and relieve stress.”

In her book Jumpstart Your Metabolism, Pam Grout notes that proper breathing can even be a key to losing weight. “You literally work at one-fifth of your potential when you don’t get enough oxygen,” she explains. “Your body slows down, gains weight, and becomes even more stubborn about changing.”

Deep breathing exercises have also been useful in treating illnesses such as ADD. In his book Healing ADD, Dr. Daniel Amen describes a simple technique that can benefit not only ADD patients, but everyone:

“One simple, commonly recommended way to start breathing deeply is to lie down and place a small book on your stomach. When you breathe in, make the book go up. When you breathe out, make the book go down. Or while sitting, place your hand on your stomach and do the same thing until you get the hang of it.”

Drawing on her Pilates experience, Aliesa George recommends this simple technique to increase awareness of how you breathe:

“Place a long scarf across your back with the ends in front, the bottom edge of the scarf sitting at the bottom of your rib cage in back. Cross the ends in front and take hold of them in your hands, drop your shoulders, and breathe. The scarf helps you to feel where your breath is in your lungs so that you can focus on breathing fully in both lungs. Most people breathe more deeply in one lung than the other…. You can work on breathing in one lung and then the other, and then on fully breathing in a balanced way in both lungs.”

“Breathing is going to make a difference for a healthy life,” George concludes. That’s advice worth taking – with every breath.

To read more on the benefits of breathing and Pilates, check out these recent articles:

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Whether you are a serious marathoner or simply a “run-for-fun” type, Pilates provides the optimal runner’s workout. Health and fitness experts agree that Pilates exercises are ideal, both as a preparation for all forms of running, and also as a way to repair any damage that running might cause.

Marathon runner Aline Raywood “recalls the time when she was having a groin pull almost every 2 months, which started to interfere with her training. She was also plateauing in her training as she was feeling that she was lacking oxygen for sustained high level of endurance.” The answer for Raywood: Pilates.

For more about the benefits of Pilates for runners, check out these articles. Then, mark your calendar with one or more of the upcoming, local running events listed below.

Highlights: The Santa Skivvies Run is “a festive romp through San Francisco benefiting San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The route begins at UN Plaza and follows Market Street to the Castro. In just four short years, Santa Skivvies Run has become one of the city’s most beloved holiday events.” Website: http://dev.santaskivviesrun.org/

Holiday Hustle (Date/Place: 12/07/2014/Morgan Hill).

Highlights: Runners that register before November 24th. will receive a tech tee. All runners “will be able to enjoy a post race beer as well as the food you come to expect from a trail race. There will be finishers medals given for all distances.” Website: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=28585

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We hold our selves to such high standards, thanks to the media splashing pictures of bikini-clad, svelte supermodels 4 week postpartum. It doesn’t work like that…If you are newly pregnant, I hate to be the bearer of this news. Your post baby body is likely to take a bit of work to reshape. It’s ok. There are two things you need: One is a profound LOVE AND RESPECT for your body, it has grown and given birth to a tiny human being! The other is PILATES. If you do both, I promise you will be amazed at the results.

Pilates is a fantastic way to keep up with the rapid changes in the pregnant body and prepare for birth. Postural changes, ligament laxity (due to hormonal changes), muscle tightness, a general sense that your derriere will never be the same…

Pilates addresses these changes by helping the client to maintain core strength, flexibility, and alignment during this dynamic time. All exercises are modified to support proper body mechanics and are approved by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In addition, Pilates aids in the recovery postpartum by training muscles to support you in proper postural alignment, re-introducing the use of the pelvic floor and intrinsic abdominal musculature, and toning those places that shifted around during pregnancy. Every woman varies in her experience of pregnancy and childbirth. The Pilates method can provide the specific attention needed. Take some well deserved “me time” to rejuvenate your body. It will make you a a happier person, and therefore a better mother and partner, when you feel good in your body.

To make 2014 your year to reclaim your body and mind, the remedy is simple:
Love Yourself + Do Pilates = look and feel like a supermodel.

Shanta De Lacrose, Ph.Dis an Instructor at Fit First Pilates of Marin, mother of two home birthed babies and has a passion for empowering women in all stages of life, especially motherhood.

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This month FFP launched Full Swing Pilates. A program specifically focused on improving your golf game.

Golf is one of those sports that the more you practice…the more you realize how much more you need to practice. While the ‘greats’ make the game look effortless and at times poetic, it is indeed comforting if not a bit satisfying to know that even they can have really smelly days!

Pilates is a great way to improve your golf game and both disciplines share many of the same philosophies. Both are mind and body practices and require concentration, strength, flexibility and power. During a golf swing, the workload put on the spine and supporting structures is immense. Consequently if the body is out of balance, the risk of injury intensifies. Many hours are spent working on improving the swing but in my experience, the problems are often the result of poor bio mechanics.

In golf…age isn’t a limitation. Experience isn’t a limitation. Equipment isn’t a limitation.

Pilates helps you: • Build up the back muscles evenly • Elongate and align the spine for better stability • Strengthen the abdominals • Increase overall flexibility, strength, and balance • Increase range of motion in hips and shoulders • Enhance concentration through focused breathing Performance Benefits A stronger and more stable core helps golfers: • Attain an optimal backswing and follow-through with increased range of motion in shoulders • Get more distance and power because of added hip and torso flexibility • Have a stronger and bigger hip turn for greater power through rotation • Create a smoother and more powerful swing due to evenly conditioned back muscles • Maximize balance and alignment while rotating • Decrease fatigue because of less strain on the body • Hold a body position long enough to play through a shot • Play without pain!

Pilates exercise also incorporates core-extremity integration in multiple planes and configurations that allow for better control of the extremities. This control will help the golfer fine-tune the ability to direct the ball.

When a client signs up for this program, we will first look at what your pre and post game rituals are (or aren’t). We will then take a look at your actual swing mechanics and finally, you will be given exercises based on your specific needs.

You must fix your body to fix your swing!

Will Pilates guarantee you a spot on the PGA tour??? Maybe…but one thing is for sure, if you improve your core strength, alignment and balance, you will reduce the risk of injury and improve your game!